Some Kind of Wonderful

Why Wonder Woman Faces an Unexpected Ban

It should come as no surprise in these increasingly fractious times that the first female-fronted superhero movie in 12 years is being met with a fair share of controversy. Wonder Woman, the latest installment in the embattled Justice League franchise, may have scored glowing advance reviews, but the politicized debate over a handful of women-only screenings of the film has ensured that, like the all-female Ghostbusters before her, Wonder Woman will have to fight bad guys while also juggling a considerable amount of cultural baggage.

And like 2016’s Ghostbusters, the box-office receipts for Wonder Woman will carry an extra significance that will surely inform the ongoing debate over whether a summer blockbuster can be profitable without a man in the leading role. The Ghostbusters bottom line took an extra blow when it was banned in China for supernatural reasons and now Wonder Woman faces a challenge in an admittedly smaller foreign market. A Lebanese group is seeking to ban the film based on the politics of Israeli star Gal Gadot.

A group calling itself the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel-Lebanon has cited Gadot’s association with the Israeli army—where she served a mandatory two years—as a reason to outlaw the film in Lebanon. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, “Lebanon is officially at war with Israel and has a decades-old law that boycotts Israeli products and bars Lebanese citizens from traveling to Israel or having contacts with Israelis.” Though Israel and Lebanon have clashed several times over the years, Gadot was serving during the especially devastating 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War. Gadot posed the following year for a Maxim magazine spread called “The Chosen Ones: Israeli Defense Forces” celebrating the beautiful women of the I.D.F.

In a series of Facebook posts, the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel-Lebanon accused Gadot of boasting “about the army training her for Hollywood.” That’s almost a direct quote with Gadot telling Fashion magazine in 2015: “The army wasn’t that difficult for me. The military gave me good training for Hollywood.” The post also condemns Gadot for supporting the Israeli army’s controversial 2014 invasion of Gaza, which she did with a Facebook post of her own that read:

I am sending my love and prayers to my fellow Israeli citizens.

Especially to all the boys and girls who are risking their lives

protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas,

who are hiding like cowards behind women and children…We shall

overcome!!! Shabbat Shalom!

That show of support over a hotly debated military action stirred up an online tempest the day before Gadot was set to make her Comic-Con debut in her first official image as Wonder Woman. And the same campaign seeking to block Gadot’s solo outing also tried, and failed, to ban Lebanese screenings of 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice featuring Gadot as Wonder Woman.

Though Lebanon is not as stringent with censorship as some of its fellow Muslim-majority neighbors, there are still some harsh-yet-hazy regulations in place particularly when it comes to Israel, religion, and homosexuality. But even if the film is successfully banned, it may find itself later _un_banned, as was the case with Persepolis in 2008, or circulating underground, as happened with Waltz with Bashir in 2009. And while Wonder Woman is still on track to premiere in Beirut on Wednesday, the country’s interior minister could still ban the film at the last minute following a recommendation from the six-member committee. Samah Idriss, a member of the boycott campaign, told the Associated Press, “Even if it is one hour before the show, they should ban it anyway.”

Gal Gadot

Ever since she landed the role of Wonder Woman, it’s been hard to remember a time when Gal Gadot wasn’t practically a household name. Over the years, the actress shored up her resume with roles in the Fast and Furious franchise and other big budget action movies, like Knight and Day. Now the summer of Gal is finally upon us, as Wonder Woman is set to hit theaters on June 2. The day—and more women-only screenings (cry about it, misogynists!)—can’t come soon enough.

Photo: Clay Enos/TM & DC Comics.

Tom Holland

Speaking of superhero breakouts: The time is nearly upon us to usher in a new era of Spider-Man. After cutting his teeth in the theater and on supporting roles in dramatic indies, British star Tom Holland landed the role of a lifetime as Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. The film really does look like a John Hughes version of a superhero movie, injecting a much-needed dose of teen insouciance to the franchise. Spidey senses aside, Holland has already won the summer thanks to his unbelievable rendition of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” which is the best thing to come out of that show, period.

Photo: Courtesy of Chuck Zlotnick/Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Jillian Bell

If you keep up with the comedy world, you’ve probably long been familiar with Jillian Bell. For years, the actress has been turning in fun supporting performances in shows like Workaholics and movies like Office Christmas Party and 22 Jump Street. But this summer marks her biggest star turn yet, playing a rowdy bachelorette party hostess who accidentally kills a stripper in Rough Night. The actress gets to chew the scenery alongside Scarlett Johansson, who plays the bride to be in the film, as well as comedic stars Kate McKinnon and Ilana Glazer, plus Zoe Kravitz, who’s having a big year herself thanks to the perfection that is Big Little Lies.

Photo: Courtesy of Macall Polley/Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Sofia Boutella

The French-Algerian actress has slowly, but surely made her way up the Hollywood chain and this summer, all her work will begin to truly manifest. The actress has two major releases coming out this June and July: the revamped version of The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise—in which Boutella will be playing the titular Mummy, the Egyptian Princess Ahmanet—and fresh action vehicle Atomic Blonde. They’re big, juicy, villainous roles that put Boutella front and center alongside her A-list co-stars. Prepare to start seeing her everywhere.

Photo: Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Riley Keough

Riley Keough has steadily been building up a cool, eccentric list of films, from the high-octane Mad Max: Fury Road, to the experimental American Honey. This summer, she’s adding two more stellar projects to her list: Trey Edward Shults’s It Comes at Night, a spectacularly creepy horror story, and Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, a bonkers looking heist thriller that’s like Ocean’s 11, but with country accents and Nascar.

Elle Fanning

V.F.’s Hollywood Issue tells no lies—Elle Fanning is having so much more than a moment. This summer, the young star will reveal one of her most high profile roles yet in Sofia Coppola’s Southern gothic tale The Beguiled. Adding more hype to the project: Coppola just won the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival, making her only the second woman in history to be given the honor. Expect a few more eyeballs to turn their attention to the film once it hits theaters on June 23.

Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features.

Kumail Nanjiani

After breaking out on the hit HBO series Silicon Valley (now airing its fourth season), longtime comedian Kumail Nanjiani is ready to get a bit more personal this summer. On June 23, audiences can finally watch The Big Sick, the romantic comedy Nanjiani stars in and co-wrote with wife Emily V. Gordon. The film is based on the couple’s actual love life and the hurdles they had to overcome to be together. It’s both hilarious and heartwarming, and made a big splash earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, making it one of the most buzzworthy romantic releases of the summer.

Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios.

Gal Gadot

Ever since she landed the role of Wonder Woman, it’s been hard to remember a time when Gal Gadot wasn’t practically a household name. Over the years, the actress shored up her resume with roles in the Fast and Furious franchise and other big budget action movies, like Knight and Day. Now the summer of Gal is finally upon us, as Wonder Woman is set to hit theaters on June 2. The day—and more women-only screenings (cry about it, misogynists!)—can’t come soon enough.

Clay Enos/TM & DC Comics.

Tom Holland

Speaking of superhero breakouts: The time is nearly upon us to usher in a new era of Spider-Man. After cutting his teeth in the theater and on supporting roles in dramatic indies, British star Tom Holland landed the role of a lifetime as Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. The film really does look like a John Hughes version of a superhero movie, injecting a much-needed dose of teen insouciance to the franchise. Spidey senses aside, Holland has already won the summer thanks to his unbelievable rendition of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” which is the best thing to come out of that show, period.

Courtesy of Chuck Zlotnick/Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Jillian Bell

If you keep up with the comedy world, you’ve probably long been familiar with Jillian Bell. For years, the actress has been turning in fun supporting performances in shows like Workaholics and movies like Office Christmas Party and 22 Jump Street. But this summer marks her biggest star turn yet, playing a rowdy bachelorette party hostess who accidentally kills a stripper in Rough Night. The actress gets to chew the scenery alongside Scarlett Johansson, who plays the bride to be in the film, as well as comedic stars Kate McKinnon and Ilana Glazer, plus Zoe Kravitz, who’s having a big year herself thanks to the perfection that is Big Little Lies.

Courtesy of Macall Polley/Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Sofia Boutella

The French-Algerian actress has slowly, but surely made her way up the Hollywood chain and this summer, all her work will begin to truly manifest. The actress has two major releases coming out this June and July: the revamped version of The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise—in which Boutella will be playing the titular Mummy, the Egyptian Princess Ahmanet—and fresh action vehicle Atomic Blonde. They’re big, juicy, villainous roles that put Boutella front and center alongside her A-list co-stars. Prepare to start seeing her everywhere.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Lakeith Stanfield

Everything is coming up Lakeith. The actor has spent the last few months becoming That Guy You See Everywhere, starring in zeitgeist-y fare like Atlanta and Get Out. Now he’s continuing to forge ahead, co-starring in Brad Pitt’s Netflix war movie War Machine, which is already available on Netflix, while also turning in performances in indie fare like Izzy Gets the Fck Across Town*. The latter project stars current Peak TV queen Carrie Coon, who will one day be a summer film queen.

Courtesy of Francois Duhamel/Netflix.

Riley Keough

Riley Keough has steadily been building up a cool, eccentric list of films, from the high-octane Mad Max: Fury Road, to the experimental American Honey. This summer, she’s adding two more stellar projects to her list: Trey Edward Shults’s It Comes at Night, a spectacularly creepy horror story, and Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, a bonkers looking heist thriller that’s like Ocean’s 11, but with country accents and Nascar.

Courtesy of Michael Tacket/Fingerprint Releasing/Bleecker Street.

Elle Fanning

V.F.’s Hollywood Issue tells no lies—Elle Fanning is having so much more than a moment. This summer, the young star will reveal one of her most high profile roles yet in Sofia Coppola’s Southern gothic tale The Beguiled. Adding more hype to the project: Coppola just won the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival, making her only the second woman in history to be given the honor. Expect a few more eyeballs to turn their attention to the film once it hits theaters on June 23.

Courtesy of Focus Features.

Kumail Nanjiani

After breaking out on the hit HBO series Silicon Valley (now airing its fourth season), longtime comedian Kumail Nanjiani is ready to get a bit more personal this summer. On June 23, audiences can finally watch The Big Sick, the romantic comedy Nanjiani stars in and co-wrote with wife Emily V. Gordon. The film is based on the couple’s actual love life and the hurdles they had to overcome to be together. It’s both hilarious and heartwarming, and made a big splash earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, making it one of the most buzzworthy romantic releases of the summer.